After I listened to David’s story, I was deeply affected. Not because I had never heard stories like his before, but because of how closely his experience reflected realities I already knew too well. Hearing his account confirmed that the violence, torture, and abandonment migrants face are not isolated incidents. They are part of a system that operates openly and repeatedly.

David’s testimony was difficult to hear. The details of kidnapping, torture, ransom, and being left to die in the desert were not exaggerated. They were precise and factual. What struck me most was not only what happened to him, but how easily his life could have ended without anyone knowing or caring.

As someone who works closely with refugee stories and lived experiences, I recognized the patterns immediately: the trafficking networks, the ransom system, the denial of medical care, and the assumption that migrants are disposable. David’s experience reinforced the reality that many migrants are not moving by choice, but are being forced into situations where survival depends on chance and outside intervention.

Listening to David also strengthened my sense of responsibility. Stories like his cannot remain private or unheard. They must be documented accurately and shared publicly, not to shock people, but to confront false narratives about migration and expose the human cost behind them.

After hearing David’s story, it became even clearer to me that storytelling is not just about memory. It is a tool for accountability. When survivors speak and their stories are recorded, it becomes harder to deny what is happening and harder to look away.

Claudia Koehler conducted and led the storytelling session with David Amos. She works in the field of migration and has been involved in several refugee-focused projects that center lived experience, documentation, and public awareness.

Her work includes participation, collaboration and organising in initiatives such as Voice of Refugees, refugee storytelling projects, and Culture of Refugees. Across these projects, she has focused on creating spaces where refugees can speak for themselves, without their experiences being simplified, distorted, or reduced to statistics.

Through her engagement with survivors of migration routes, detention, and displacement, Claudia has developed a grounded understanding of illegal and irregular migration. Her insight is based on direct contact with refugees and long-term involvement in storytelling processes, not on assumptions or abstract policy discussions. She emphasizes that illegal migration is often the result of forced circumstances, including violence, persecution, trafficking, and the absence of safe and legal migration pathways.

During the interview with David Amos, her approach was structured, attentive, and respectful. She allowed space for difficult details to be expressed clearly and without interruption. Her role was not to dramatize the story, but to document it accurately and responsibly.

Claudia’s work challenges dominant narratives that portray refugees only as economic migrants or passive victims. By focusing on testimony and first-hand accounts, she contributes to a more realistic understanding of migration, one that reflects coercion, survival, and the long-term impact of displacement on individuals and families.

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